National Lacrosse League East Division: Team-by-Team
Previews

With National Lacrosse League training camps getting underway in
earnest, it's time to preview the 2013 NLL season. Today
Lacrosse Magazine's Neil Stevens provides a team-by-team
breakdown of the NLL's East Division — in predicted order of
finish.

1. ROCHESTER KNIGHTHAWKS

2012 recap: The Knighthawks were hard to figure
out during a 7-9 regular season that included losses in four of
their last six games. They were middle of the pack statistically
— fifth-best on defense and sixth-best on offense among the
nine NLL teams. But they got home floor advantage in the East
Division semifinal with a 9-7 win over Philadelphia in their
regular season finale and then survived a fourth-quarter Wings
rally to eke out 14-13 home win in the playoffs. Rochester went
into Toronto and upset the Rock 17-13 in the East Division final,
and then overcame a 5-1 halftime deficit to defeat Edmonton 9-6 in
the Champion’s Cup final at home. The Knighthawks peaked at
the right time, and goaltender Matt Vinc excelled when it mattered
most.

Hall returns: Rochester got it done without top
transition man Jordan Hall, who tore an ACL in the 10th game of the
season, because it has a deeper bench than most NLL teams. Hall is
healthy now and ready to resume cutting across the middle of
opponents’ zones to fire in sidearm bullets.

Powell power: American lacrosse legend Casey
Powell is making a comeback after a year away from the indoor game.
The top U.S.-born scorer in NLL history can only make the
Knighthawks’ offense better. “I’d love to see
Casey in a Knighthawks uniform and playing every game,”
general manager Curt Styres said.

Rabil rumblings: Jarrett Davis, whose
playmaking talent out of the back end impressed last spring, was
traded to Edmonton to get the rights to transition speedster Paul
Rabil, who may or not play for Rochester. Rabil otherwise might be
flipped to another team in the East.

Coy captain: Defenseman Pat McCready became an
unrestricted free agent Aug. 1 and is mulling over whether to
return or to retire on top with the Champion’s Cup memories
of last spring fresh in his mind. The Knighthawks are trying to
coax him into one more year.

Entry draft: Rochester did not have a pick until the third round
and opted for Stony Brook All-American Robbie Campbell 26th overall
and defender Cody Hawkins 29th. Both are from British Columbia,
where Hawkins was his junior league’s 2012 defender of
year.

Bandits castoffs: Rochester signed transition
man Tom Montour and defenseman Ian Llord soon after they were
released by Buffalo.

Ready for camp: Coach Mike Hasen doesn’t
make bold predictions. “We’re setting ourselves up to
be able to compete again,” he said. “Add our draft
picks, and it looks like we’ll have a highly competitive
camp.”

In-Vinc-ible: After a 2012 season of personnel
juggling, a smoother road lies ahead in 2013, and that should mean
more wins. There hasn’t been a repeat champion since 2003,
but the Knighthawks have a shot at it with Matt Vinc in the
net.

Schedule: Rochester opens Jan. 5 at Washington.
The Knighthawks don’t play again until their Jan. 19 home
opener against Buffalo.

2. TORONTO ROCK

2012 recap: The Rock jettisoned first-string
goalie Matt Roik after a three-game losing streak midseason and won
five of its last six regular season games with Nick Rose in goal
after acquiring him from Calgary. Rose had zero NLL wins on his
resume before arriving, but he lifted Toronto to first place in the
East Division. Rose blanked Buffalo in the second half of a 7-6
home win in the East Division semifinal. But his bubble burst in
the East final at home, when the Knighthawks shelled him in a 17-13
loss. Injuries took a toll on the Rock.

Signing coup: Chris White in Toronto colors?
Those always-bitter Bandits-Rock scraps look to get even nastier
now that Buffalo’s captain has jumped ship. Add a healthy
Mike Hobbins and a rehabbed Drew Petkoff, who were hampered by
injuries last winter, and the defense is going to be tough to
penetrate.

Reinforcements: Defenseman Nick Inch is in the
fold after being a holdout last year, so look for competition for
jobs on the back end to be intense. “We’ve got 19 or 20
D-guys who’ll be vying for spots,” general manager
Terry Sanderson said.

Offseason: Little impact here. The Rock traded
defenseman Glen Bryan, who appeared in only nine games last season,
and forward Jamie Rooney, who missed a big chunk of the season and
the playoffs with a groin injury, to Buffalo for 14th spot in entry
draft.

Entry draft: Toronto did not have a first-round
pick. The 14th overall slot that was acquired from the Bandits was
used on defenseman Brad Kri from the Canadian junior champion
Orangeville Northmen. Kri is only 20, and won’t be rushed
into NLL.

Head cases: There had been some concern over
the future of forward Dan Carey after yet another concussion late
last season, but he has re-signed and is working hard to be in
shape to win a spot. Defenseman Phil Sanderson and forward Rob
Hellyer, the team’s other 2012 concussion victims, also are
expected to resume their careers.

Codd quits: Defenseman Bruce Codd retired to
become an assistant coach in Calgary.

Campbell on the bench: Backup goalie Pat
Campbell retired and now is the team’s goaltending coach.

Age factor: Ten starters, including forward
Colin Doyle (35), forward Josh Sanderson (35) and defenseman Cam
Woods (36) are over 30. Terry Sanderson is unconcerned. “We
have three guys who are over 34,” he said. “What, you
think 30 is old?” The general manager obviously has faith his
vets can still deliver.

Feeling good: “We felt good about things
a year ago,” Terry Sanderson said. “In that final game,
we had a lot of guys injured. We didn’t feel we had to adjust
much [during the offseason] because we felt we had the guys to do
it last year, and they’re all coming back. Our goals and
expectations haven’t really changed.”

Schedule: It’s a challenging start in
Alberta with a Jan. 12 season opener at Calgary and afternoon tilt
Jan. 13 at Edmonton. Toronto’s home opener is Jan. 19 against
Philadelphia.

3. BUFFALO BANDITS

2012 recap: The Bandits won their first two
games, then lost six in a row before recovering to finish the
regular season 7-9. Getting veteran goalie Anthony Cosmo into the
lineup helped, but the defense wasn’t as strong as in years
past. Buffalo ranked fourth in the league in offense, seventh on
defense. But it was the offense that let the Bandits down in their
East Division semifinal in Toronto. Up 6-2 at halftime, they
couldn’t get a ball behind Rock goalie Nick Rose in the
second half of a 7-6 loss.

Chug this: Former goalie and 2012 NLL Hall of
Fame inductee Steve (Chugger) Dietrich took over as general
manager.

Captain deserts: Less than two weeks later,
captain and unrestricted free agent Chris White signed with
Toronto. Ouch!

Offseason: Forward Kevin Buchanan and a
third-round 2013 draft pick were sent to Philadelphia for forward
Mike Hominuck and transition man David Brock. Buchanan’s
output fell to 10 goals last season, while Hominuck scored 14 for
the Wings, so that’s a wash. Getting the physically imposing
Brock was a bonus.

The Bandits then traded the No. 3 draft pick to Minnesota for
forward Shawn Williams, defenseman Brendan Doran and three 2012
picks. The Swarm got towering forward Kiel Matisz with the pick,
and Dietrich might one day regret passing on a potential
game-breaker like him. But Buffalo get immediate dividends with the
savvy vet Williams, one of the best scorers in NLL history.

Buffalo also signed free agent Derek Suddons, a veteran
defenseman who was with Edmonton last winter. The Bandits released
forward Roger Vyse, transition man Tom Montour and defenseman Ian
Llord to make room for newcomers.

Entry draft: Buffalo’s first selection
was Ontario Junior A scoring champion and MVP Dhane Smith, who is a
second cousin of Bandits defenseman Billy Dee Smith. “Dhane
is the complete package,” Dietrich said. “He’s
got great vision and great hands, and he’s proven in junior
that he can score a lot of goals.”

The Bandits’ second pick was hard-nosed defenseman Hayden
Smith of the Canadian-champion Orangeville Northmen juniors. Smith,
Suddons and Doran should offset the losses on the defensive end of
White, Llord and Darryl Gibson, who announced his retirement.

Mikey packs it in: With Cosmo’s
reliability, the retirement of Mike Thompson is not a problem for
the Bandits, who signed free agent Kurtis Wagar to compete for the
2013 backup job.

4. PHILADELPHIA WINGS

2012 recap: The Wings were 7-9 during the
regular season, when they allowed more goals than any NLL team.
Brandon Miller’s .742 save percentage was the worst in the
league among goalies who played more than 200 minutes. They still
made the playoffs, but a fourth-quarter rally fell short against
Rochester in a 14-13 first-round loss.

Top guns: Lack of secondary scoring also was a
factor in Philly. Kevin Crowley (36 goals), Drew Westervelt (36),
Brendan Mundorf (28), Dan Dawson (25) came through, but there was
not enough from the rest.

Offseason: In the boldest move by general
manager and coach Johnny Mouradian, Philadelphia acquired Kevin
Ross from Minnesota in exchange for the Wings’ first-round
pick in the 2015 entry draft. Ross was second on the Swarm with 28
goals last season, including a five-goal outburst against the
Wings. Ross is one of the most underrated forwards in the NLL.
Philadelphia also got Kevin Buchanan from Buffalo, hoping the
American forward’s output would spike upward upon being
reunited with former Boston Blazers teammate Dan Dawson.

“We were 25 to 30 goals shy last year on what our
left-side production needed to be,” Mouradian said.
“That was one of the areas we felt we had to address. We had
Ned Crotty go down with a wrist injury and Brendan Mundorf hurt an
ankle. Halfway through our season, we were short bodies on the left
side.”

The Wings now boast Mundorf, Crotty, Ross and Buchanan on the
left side, though Mundorf might not be available until March due to
offseason ankle surgery.

Back-end woes: Getting Kyle Hartzell from
Washington should help Philadelphia’s maligned defense, but
the Wings need to acquire a backup goalie to spell Miller.

Entry draft: A bare cupboard. Philadelphia did
not have a turn until the fourth round.

Coaching changes: Defenseman Tom Hajek retired
and now is defensive coordinator. Blane Harrison moved from
defensive coordinator to offensive coordinator in place of Jim
Milligan.

Team USA: Americans will comprise at least 75
percent of Philadelphia’s roster. If the Wings can get Rabil,
whom they covet, from Rochester to speed up breakouts out of the
back end and maybe even Powell, fans might as well call them the
USA Wings.

Shootout: It will be full throttle on offense.
Philadelphia might need 15 goals a game to overcome their defensive
deficiencies.

Schedule: The Wings open Jan. 11 at home
against Buffalo.

Neil
Stevenshas covered pro and Canadian
lacrosse since 1971. He and the late Tom Borrelli — a
longtime Lacrosse Magazine contributor — are the only media
members recognized by the NLL Hall of Fame.